Can sailing tourism and marine research benefit from each other? : An arctic case study with particular focus on Iceland and Northern Norway

• Main Author: Hugo Vancraenenbroeck 1999-
• Other Authors: Háskólinn á Akureyri
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Meistaraprófsritgerðir; Háskólasetur Vestfjarða; Haf- og strandsvæðastjórnun; Norðurheimskautið; Vistfræði; Verndaráætlanir; University Centre of the Westfjords; Coastal and marine management; The Arctic; Socio-ecological changes; Protection; Arctic; Iceland; Northern Norway; Svalbard
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45853

The Arctic is a unique and complex area that has undergone dramatic socio-ecological changes over the last few decades. As it continues to be threatened by increasing human interests and activities, positive cooperation between Arctic stakeholders is needed to advance the case of protecting this region. Sailing tourism could be a way to encourage more citizen science initiatives and provide an alternative means of transport for polar researchers during their expeditions. So far, no study has described the interactions between the marine research field and the sailing tourism industry in the Arctic. Therefore, this thesis examines how marine research and sailing tourism can benefit from each other, with an emphasis on Iceland and Northern Norway (including Svalbard). The main objective is to explore the benefits and limitations of such interactions by collecting the opinions and experiences of company owners and skippers through semi-structured interviews. Additionally, three surveys were conducted, which share the voices of marine researchers, tourism researchers and tourists joining sailing trips to the discussion. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore the different actors’ narratives about their activity and views on the topic. The results show that skippers and company owners’ opinions differ when discussing existing and potential collaborations possibilities with marine scientists. This study also found that most guests would like to see a change towards a more environmentally sustainable and responsible approach for their tourism activities. Finally, researchers can benefit from this platform of opportunities through scientific expeditions and citizen science trips. These findings could foster stronger collaborations and facilitate the implementation of long-term strategies among key stakeholders to address common interests. Norðurheimskautin er einstætt og flókið svæði sem hefur gengið í gegnum stórkostlegar félags-vistfræðilegar breytingar á síðustu áratugum. Um leið og því er áfram ...